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Bone Marrow Stem Cells may help Children with Severe TBI

Charles S. Cox, Jr. M.D., a professor of pediatric neurosurgery at the University of Texas Medical School, just completed a Phase I clinical trial of harvesting bone marrow stem cells from children with severe TBI to treat their brain injuries. The purpose of the trial was to show that the technique is feasible

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Vitamin D Deficiency Linked to Chronic Fatigue in TBI Patients

In April 2010 Dr. Jessica Schnieders from Rijnstate Hospital in Arnham, The Netherlands, published a study looking at Vitamin D levels and hormone levels in 180 TBI patients (50% of whom had fatigue and 50% of whom did not). She found that 51% of TBI patients were severely fatigued 10 years after their

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Will there ever be a Simple Blood Test for TBI?

Although blood tests exist for many pathological conditions (e.g. heart attacks and mononucleosis), the FDA has never approved a blood test to diagnose neurological conditions such as Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease or TBI. Although these neurologic conditions are associated with specific protein breakdown products (called biomarkers), they don’t get into the body’s bloodstream

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Quick Radar Scan used for Concussion Diagnosis

People with concussions don’t walk normally. Their brain impairment is equivalent to have a blood alcohol of 0.05. The alteration in their gait is more pronounced when they perform cognitive tasks while walking. In April 2011 researchers at Georgia Tech Research Institute demonstrated the use of a simple radar test in the field

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Researcher urge re-classification of TBI as a Chronic Disease

In the August 2010 issue of the Journal of Neurotrauma two physicians highly familiar with TBI urged the insurance industry and health care system to reclassify TBI as a chronic disease instead of a one-time event. The two physicians issued this recommendation after conducting an exhaustive medical literature review on 25 years worth

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Protein and Calories lessen effects of Severe TBI in the Acute Stage

The U.S. Department of Defense has just announced a finding by the Institute of Medicine regarding nutritional therapy for severe TBI. The IOM study showed that during the first two weeks of treatment for severe TBI, a high calorie, high protein diet can reduce brain inflammation and improve outcomes. The nutritional components which

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Surgeons Heal Damaged Brain Tissue by Restoring Blood Flow

In the April 2011 online issue of the journal Stroke neurosurgeons at the Krembil Neuroscience Centre, Toronto Western Hospital, reported the first ever successful brain bypass surgeries. The neurosurgeons operated on 29 patients (ave. age 41) who had lost grey matter along with cognitive function as a result of reduced flow from cerebrovascular

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